Posts by Preston

41

Ten Greatest Movies Ever

by Seven in

what does this have to do with being a jehovah's witness?

nothing.. the greatest movies ever made.

1. the godfather.

1.) 2001: A Space Odyssey
2.) The Seventh Seal
3.) Andrei Rublev
4.) Dr. Strangelove
5.) The Right Stuff
6.) Breaking the Waves
7.) Miller's Crossing
8.) Fanny and Alexander
9.) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence
10.) tie - Once Upon a Time in the West/Charley Varrick

1

Breaking the Waves - Have You Seen It?

by Preston in

breaking the waves is a beautiful love story/spiritual film about a spiritually devout woman who belongs to a strict religious sect that allows people to comment (although nor freely), where marrying outside of your religion is a problem, and people who committ sins are publicly humiliated and condemned at their funeral (hmmmmm...does all of this sound familiar).

it is a 2hr 20min movie, but for my money it is one of the best films ever made and i want everybody on the board to see it.

it addresses problems that a group of church elders could never comprehend and it refers to the ambiguities of christian faith.

Preston

Breaking the Waves is a beautiful love story/spiritual film about a spiritually devout woman who belongs to a strict religious sect that allows people to comment (although nor freely), where marrying outside of your religion is a problem, and people who committ sins are publicly humiliated and condemned at their funeral (hmmmmm...does all of this sound familiar). It is a 2hr 20min movie, but for my money it is one of the best films ever made and I want everybody on the board to see it. It addresses problems that a group of church elders could never comprehend and it refers to the ambiguities of Christian faith. There are some parts which are hard to watch but I was moved by the suprise ending. I hope you give it a try.

53

WHY APOSTATES THEMSELVES ARE DOOMED!!!

by You Know in

jw
friends

all mankind stands condemned before god, and yet some are more reprehensible than others are.

as an example, christ called the original christian apostate, judas, the son of destruction.

so too, and not surprisingly, the activities of modern day apostates are said to awaken the judgment from of old, so that "the destruction of them is not slumbering.

Preston

Push out the jive, bring in the love!

8

The Blood Issue

by dutyfree in

jw
friends

i have a question about the infamous blood issue, which i am sure will be very easy for some people to answer.. in the bible, niv, nwt, kj or whatever, the line, '...you should abstain from blood...' is taken literally by the witnesses and they do not take into account other scriptures whilst reading it.. what other scriptures are there in the bible to support the theory that the writer's intended meaning was not to take it literally?

so, in other words, i have argued with jws that it means to not drink blood as there were no iv needles around then to inject the blood into the veins.

but are there any other scriptures to back this up?.

Preston

Well, Acts 15:19, 20 are generally used to support the belief that blood transfusions are looked down upon. Without looking at the context of the Bible this same reasoning applies to fornication, partaking of what is strangled, and from food offered up to idols. Interestingly, in 1 Corinthians 8 the Apostle Paul says that it's not wrong to partake of food offered to idols, a prohibition of Acts 15:20. A careful study of Acts 15 shows that there were arguments between Jews and Christians as to what aspects of the mosaic law needed to be obeyed by Chrisitnas in order to gain salvation. An example being circumcision. Since the law was fulfilled in Christ (Acts 15:11) one couldn't gain salvation through works of the Mosaic Law no matter how noble a person's deeds were. Neverthless, there was a rift between Jews and Chritstians. So it was laid down in Jerulsalem that the Christians were to abstain from the things mentioned in Acts 15: 19, 20 out of respect toward the Jews and Moses (Acts 15:21). It was fitting for the Christians to abstain from these things in the presence of Jews since foreigners (non-Jews) had to abstain from the very same things in the presence of Jews in Leviticus ch's 17, 18. Many have the impression, as I did, that those scriptures represented the bare minimum of laws that Christians had to uphold. This cannot be for the scripture fails to mention the importance of loving God as well as loving one's neighbor. This is the context of Acts 15:19,20.

23

Want to help my JW friend

by wannahelp in

jw
friends

i'm new here, and i want to make it clear upfront that i am not, nor have i ever been a jw.

in fact, until recently i didn't know much about jw's.

but i do have a question that i hope both jw's and ex-jw's will try and answer for me... about 10 months ago, i hired a 20 year old to work for me.. i hired him because he seemed very loyal, ethical, sincere, hardworking and honest.

Preston

Hi, I just wanted to say that I read your post and I am impressed with the diligence and candor you have displayed in helping your friend. I don't really have any grudges against ther organization despite what has happened since leaving so I think you will enjoy my perspective. When I started my active life in the organization it realy did create in me the kind of mission and zeal that has helped me to get my University degree and volunteer my time toward secular organizations. Nevertheless, over time I realized that my zeal was being counteracted by how repressive it was being a witness. It all led to the point where I decided to leave, which was very difficult for me. I did sacrifice 5 years of my life in the organization and even though it stimulated my spiritual interest it did not teach me what it's like to be in the real world. I think you have done an excellent job already in bringing some things to your friend's attention without being severely critical of the organization. Not all people, no matter what their station is in the organization, are bad people. Many of them are mislead, misguided, learning in part, or have a difficult time understanding the organization in context. Nevertheless, as you have stated, relationships are condiditonal in the organization. It is a very regimented lifestyle, and there are a lot of restricitions. The difficulty is emphasized bu the fact that this is something that one is expected to do for the rest of his/her life (this is the idea behind dedication and baptism in the organization). I've known a lot of witnesses over the years who have passed away and there were memorials in their behalf which tended to be oppotunities simply to witness to non-witnesses rather than offering a perspective on that person's life. I think that sums up a person's life in he congregation. After each memorial, the individual was quickly forgotten by the congregation with the hope that the departed would be in "Jehovah's memory" later to be resurrected. Personally, memorials were very hard for me to attend only because it reduces a person's life to a discourse. It's like nothing outside of what that person did in the kingdom hall mattered with the only people giving reflection being those that were never his or her friends in the first place (becuase friendships were condiditonal).

I think what you are doing now is the best way to help your friend out. You want to let him think and let him make his own decisions (something the organization has a hard time supporting). Telling him point blank, in my opinion, will only make him feel defensive, besides you aren't trying to coerce him into thinking a certain way anyway. I have a lot of hope and Christian love toward your friend and I have a feeling that he will have a bright and prosperous future ahead of him. Tell him there are people "out there" that hope he makes a decision that will make him feel confident and satisfied in himself, no matter how difficult it may be.

205

HELLO? HELLO? "ALL" SIGN IN???????

by waiting in

simon did away with the sex forum - so i must take the tradional route and post under "make new friends.

" how mundane!.

fyi ---- for all of us, please take the time to write a sentence or two about yourselves, and encourage new ones to do the same.

Preston

Hi outnfree, LAMBDA is not qa set of intitials iit is just the name for my org. on campus. The Lambda symbol (Greek letter for L) signifies change justice.

205

HELLO? HELLO? "ALL" SIGN IN???????

by waiting in

simon did away with the sex forum - so i must take the tradional route and post under "make new friends.

" how mundane!.

fyi ---- for all of us, please take the time to write a sentence or two about yourselves, and encourage new ones to do the same.

Preston

Ah yes...the ASU I'm referring to is Arizona State University. That is where I graduated from.

10

Coming Out Experiences

by Preston in

jw
friends

hi, this is my first post so i would like to get some things off of my chest.

i recently had to leave my congregation after five years after deciding to take a proactive stance regarding my beliefs and the fact that i found it necessary to come out to the congregation regarding my queerness (i usually try to stay away from labels like straight or bi since i think they are deceptive).

i was very active in my congregation: i was a ministerial servant, i handled the accounts, and i performed a lot of other duties.

Preston

Thaks Jim for reading my post, I would certainly like to hear about your experiences as well as possibly getting in contact with some people in Arizona who have had similar experiences to mine (possibly in the Phoenix area).

Thanx!

205

HELLO? HELLO? "ALL" SIGN IN???????

by waiting in

simon did away with the sex forum - so i must take the tradional route and post under "make new friends.

" how mundane!.

fyi ---- for all of us, please take the time to write a sentence or two about yourselves, and encourage new ones to do the same.

Preston

Hi everybody, I would like to introduce myself as Preston..(muffled groans from crowd)..I am 22, muscular build, no visible scars, just kidding...seriously though, I have been out (sexually and religiously) from the gulag that I would like to call the Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and suprise, suprise I have no regrets. I have just graduated from ASU with my degree in CIS (It's SASSY!!!!) and I would like to hear from you all!

I am active with the LAMBDA league on campus and it's main purpose is to make people feel a little more comfortable dealing with their own as well as other people's sexuality. I have a huge appreciaion for foreign film, particularly latin-american literature (Borges, Marquez) and contemporary art. Talk to me when you get the chance, I won't bite, unless.....

STICKS AND STONES MAY BREAK MY BONES BUT WHIPS AND CHAINS EXCITE ME!!!

10

Coming Out Experiences

by Preston in

jw
friends

hi, this is my first post so i would like to get some things off of my chest.

i recently had to leave my congregation after five years after deciding to take a proactive stance regarding my beliefs and the fact that i found it necessary to come out to the congregation regarding my queerness (i usually try to stay away from labels like straight or bi since i think they are deceptive).

i was very active in my congregation: i was a ministerial servant, i handled the accounts, and i performed a lot of other duties.

Preston

Hi, this is my first post so I would like to get some things off of my chest. I recently had to leave my congregation after five years after deciding to take a proactive stance regarding my beliefs and the fact that I found it necessary to come out to the congregation regarding my queerness (I usually try to stay away from labels like straight or bi since I think they are deceptive). I was very active in my congregation: I was a ministerial servant, I handled the accounts, and I performed a lot of other duties. I also had a deep appreciation for philosophy, painting (particularly Dali) and obscure Russian cinema so it was hard being in a congregation where appreciation for art was so restricted. I also found it hard living in an environment where I was condemned by the very literature I was coerced to read. It was also hard dealing with the sexual feelings I had toward people of the same sex in my congregation (in particular, there was a cute elder that I had a very wicked crush on). When I finally came to the conclusion that the Society's view was highly questionable I decided to take a stand. First, I came out to myself, then my acquaintances, then my friends, then my family, then the congregation. I'm glad that I did so. I didn't do it in order to create dissention but I never felt it was an option to keep it hidden, I had to be truthful to others and I couldn't stay in the congregation because it prevented me from being truthful regarding myself. It has been four months since I have been active and I have no regrets. Friendships in the congregation are so conditional and I have had so many blessings from my two Friends that I met in my University since I left. I have also had the honor of graduating from ASU in Arizona with my degree in Computer Information Systems as well. For the most part my relationship with the congregation is non-existent. What friends I came out to in the congregation I do not have anymore. I am not disfellowshipped but every once in a while an elder calls me up to ask if I have engaged in sexual activity. I do not give him the honor of knowing since it is none of his business. It is hard enough dealing with two parents who can't even picture their own children as sexual less homosexual. And frankly, It's my opinion that it's none of their business what two people who love each other do behind closed doors. The head elder was the most curious, he wanted every single detail. To tell you the truth, I think he was very closeted about some of the feelings that he had about his own sexuality. In fact, leaving has made me realize how preoccupied many elders are toward pretty sexual matters rather than all the people who die from suicide and not being able to freely decide for themselves regarding blood. In short, I'm glad that I'm out and I would like to hear any coming out stories that you might have as well. Thank you for allowing me to speak.